Why experience can lead you to the wrong Google Ads diagnosis
One Google Ads problem. Seven different recommendations. How do you know which advice to trust?
Google Ads for long-decision-cycle industries
Published September 2025. Last updated July 2026.
Most businesses chase people ready to buy today, making those leads expensive. But "not-now" leads, who are researching but not yet ready, often cost less and convert more profitably if you nurture them.
A consultancy I worked with specialised in immigration for mixed-nationality couples. These couples usually start researching months or even years before they’re ready to move.
Here’s how we generate leads:
- Attract attention - We ran Google Ads offering a free self-assessment. Couples answered questions to see if they met the basic requirements. Almost all opted in for immigration law updates.
- Capture leads - At the end, they got a personalised report and an invite to discuss the results with a consultant.
- Nurture - Every time laws or regulations changed the firm sent a plain-English update explaining the implications. Each update included an invite to get in touch. They sent about eight a year.
- Convert - Each update triggered new consultations and sign-ups.
By the time nurtured leads were ready, they knew and trusted the firm. Closing was almost a formality. And because these leads were cheaper to acquire, they turned out far more profitable than the hot leads they’d chased before.
This isn’t just for immigration. Any industry with a long decision cycle can benefit.
I’ve seen it work with:
- Elder-care - A facility educated families with emails on preparing a loved one for care.
- Accounting - A tax specialist for company directors attracted leads with a guide on lowering taxes, nurtured them with updates, and closed with a push before filing season.
- Home renovation - A contractor offered a free planning guide, then followed up with tips on timelines, hidden costs, and design ideas. When homeowners were ready, he was the obvious choice.
Most Google Ads Problems Aren't Google Ads Problems
If my writing resonates with you, I'd like to give you a copy of my book, Profitable Google Ads.
Complete the form below to download your free copy. I'll also send you future articles about Google Ads, lead generation, and practical ways to generate more profitable customers from your marketing.
Related articles
Your Google Ads ROAS looks great. But is your business making money?
Two Google Ads campaigns deliver the same revenue. But one creates five times as much work for the sales team.
Four Google Ads managers. Why couldn't they explain what went wrong?
What I'd do when Google Ads leads disappear and nobody can explain why.
Your Google Ads are working. So why are you running out of cash?
How a successful Google Ads campaign can leave your business short of cash.
How I'd approach Google Ads for an AV rental business
Two tricky targeting problems, a possible campaign strategy, and one important question: can we generate profitable leads?
Five negative keyword lists to cut wasted Google Ads clicks
Stop paying for searches you don’t want. Here are the five negative keyword lists I normally use when building Google Ads campaigns for service businesses.
Topics you'll find on this site
Agency insights
Thoughts and lessons on client selection, burnout, pricing, and modernising legacy accounts, from someone who's run a Google Ads for years.
Conversion tracking
Understand what happens after someone clicks your advert. Subjects include offline conversions, CRM integration, attribution, auditability and marketing instrumentation.
Essays and thinking
Articles about marketing, engineering, AI and problem solving that don't fit neatly into the other topics. These are some of the ideas and experiences that have shaped how I think.
Getting the most from your Google Ads agency
How to choose the right Google Ads agency, set them up to succeed, judge their work fairly, and build a relationship that delivers better business results.
Google Ads for lead generation
Learn how to use Google Ads to generate profitable leads. Subjects include campaign strategy, bidding, targeting, optimisation and the challenges of running lead generation campaigns.
How to get better quality leads from Google Ads
Understand why some leads become customers while others don't. Subjects include diagnosing poor leads, qualification, filtering junk leads and improving the feedback you send to Google Ads.
Landing pages
Things I've learned about high-converting landing pages. Subjects include copywriting, page structure, forms, trust, conversion rate optimisation and user experience.
Sales Process
What happens after a lead has been generated determines if Google Ads is profitable. Subjects include first contact, follow-up, quoting, lead nurturing and turning more enquiries into customers.
© 2026 Pete Bowen